Kaine Talks about Obama on "Face the Nation"

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) appeared on CBS' Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer Sunday to answer questions about Sen. John McCain's recent ads, the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Denver and whether Sen. Barack Obama should be doing better in the polls.

"I would rather not spin Barack's lead in the polls as anything negative. He's ahead in the polls,'' Kaine said. "Take Virginia as an example. Virginia is a state that has not gone Democratic in a presidential election since 1964. (Recent polls) have Barack Obama narrowly ahead in Virginia, which is basically outstanding."

"I think the Obama campaign has had a healthy underdog attitude since I signed on..." Kaine said. "They always thought this would be tough. They always thought they would be close but we are feeling very very good about where the senator is in the polls."

Kaine, an Obama friend and one of his campaign's national co-chairmen, did not speak about being on the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's short list of possible running mates. But later on the show, Karl Rove, former Bush aide, criticized Kaine as a possible vice presidential choice.

"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done.

"So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, `You know what? I'm really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States? What I'm concerned about is, can he bring me the electoral votes of the state of Virginia, the 13 electoral votes in Virginia?'" Rove said.

Kaine appeared on CNN last week while on a family vacation at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach.

This weekend, Kaine traveled to White Sulphur Springs, WVa., to attend the annual meeting of the Southern Governors' Association at the Greenbrier resort. Kaine, SGA's incoming chairman, will unveil an initiative on climate change.